Parking device



Oct. 30, 1962 A- SCHLEPITZKA PARKING DEVICE Filed Jan. 27, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1962 A. SCHLEPITZKA 3,061,119

PARKING DEVICE Filed Jan. 27, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I United States Patent 3,061,119 PARKING DEVICE Anton Schlepitzka, 38 Blindengasse, Vienna, Austria Filed Jan. 27, 1960, Ser. No. 4,918 7 Claims. (Cl. 214-16.1)

The invention relates to a device which can solve or at least alleviate the problem of parking vehicles in the central parts of cities and wherever the available parking areas are insuflicient.

In view of the known fact that the present measures such as short-tirne parking zones, a general prohibition of parking, loading zones etc. serve only to make the traflic more fluid but at the same time restrict the parking area available and almost inhibit the static trafiic, .whereas a flowing traflic without possibility of parking, i.e. without parking areas, is undesirable, it is an object of the present invention to enable the parked cars to be placed one over the other in order to multiply the capacity of the remaining parking area. The invention will also be applicable wherever an enlargement of the parking areas is no longer possible, i.e. in existing sheds, on parking places near exhibitions etc.

The parking device according to the invention comprises a platform which can be lifted and lowered, and which provides the parking surface for the parking vehicle. Devices of this kind are already known. The disadvantage of these known devices resides in that a lifting and lowering mechanism for several platforms is pro vided, all of which can only be moved simultaneously. In an endless chain elevator, for example, one half of the plates are lifted and the other half are lowered at the same time. The sequence of the platforms cannot be changed so that, although a vehicle can be parked smoothly, the re-use of the vehicle is unduly delayed because the vehicles are only rarely needed in the same order in which they have been parked. For this reason all platforms must be lifted or lowered until the desired motor vehicle is ready to leave. Hence the known device is a garaging device rather than a parking device in which the vehicles are to be placed for relatively short times.

It is an object of the invention to eliminate these dis advantages in that each platform has a separate drive associated with it which can be individually operated by the owner of the car to be parked. It is another object of the invention selectively to keep the space below the lifted vehicles free for the traffic, for road cleaning purposes or the like or for parking another vehicle.

These objects are achieved according to the invention in that the device comprises at least one support resting on the ground and a top rail which is connected like a bracket to said support and has at its free end a retractable additional rail which in its substantially vertical operative position forms with the top rail a continuous track for the platform, and that a drive for moving the platform is provided, the clear height and width of the device exceeding the height and width, respectively, of a vehicle.

Particularly where the device has to be movable, its stability may be increased by combining two side parts consisting of support, top rail and retractable rail, to form a framework.

The retractable rails may be, e.g., upwardly pivotally movable.

To avoid danger to the moving traflic when the platform is lifted or lowered, barriers which can be pivotally moved upwardly may be provided on the pivoted rails.

Illustrative embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view showing a parking device according to the invention. FIG. 2 shows details of the'track for the platform and of the transition from the retractable rail to the top rail.

3,06 1,1 19 Patented Oct. 30, 1962 FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken in line III-III of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on line IVIV of FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a front view showing a plurality of parking elevators and FIG. '6 is a side view showing a movable device.

The parking elevator shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 comprises a support 1 which is embedded in concrete in the ground and the top end of which is firmly connected to one end of a horizontal top rail 2 which forms a bracket. Another rail 3 pivoted to the other end of the rail 2 is shown in a vertical position and together with the rail 2 forms a continuous track for a platform 4 which can be lifted and lowered by a winch 8 by means of a traction rope 5 extending over guide pulleys 6 and 7. The winch 8' can be de-energized and energized by a switch 9.

The outer ends of the platform 4 are formed with flat profiles to facilitate the driving of the vehicle onto the platform.

The track rails 3 are U-shaped and the platform 4 bears with two pairs of rollers 13--1'5 on each flange of the rail. To ensure a guidance of the platform along the vertical and horizontal rails 3 and 2, the axes of each pair of rollers are vertically and horizontally spaced by a distance which corresponds to the roller diameter and the flange thickness of the track rail. This arrangement is apparent from FIG. 2. The platform 4 has at its longitudinal center line a sheet metal element 12 on which the rollers 13, 14, 15, 16 are mounted in pairs in the described arrangement.

The vertical spacing of the axes of the rollers 14 and 15 equals the horizontal spacing of the axes of the rollers 13 and 16 so that the roller loads on the vertical rail 3 and on the horizontal rail 2 are equalized. In accordance with the larger spacing of the pairs of rollers in the vertical direction, the web 17 of the top rail 2 is higher than the web 18 of the rail 3. By a corresponding thickening of the flanges 19, 20 of the rail 3 at the transition to the rail 2, a positive guidance of the platform 4 is achieved even when the direction of movement of the platform is changed.

Each of the rollers 13 and 16 has a flange which, to-. gether with the sheet metal element 12, provides a guidance for the platform 4 in the direction of the roller axes.

The traction rope 5 is secured to a shaft 21 of the roller 13. The diameter of the guide roller 6 is adapted to the radius of curvature of the flange 20 of the rail 3.

In order to avoid an obstruction of the free trafiic below the parking device, the rail 3 can be swung upwardly in the longitudinal direction of the platform when the platform has been lifted, as is illustrated in another embodiment in FIG. 5. For this purpose the rails 3 and 2 are provided with angles 22 and 23 the protruding flanges of which have bores through which a pin 24 extends which forms a pivot. The angle 22 has a nose 25 which is engaged by a locking pawl 26 pivoted to the angle 23. When the rail 3 is swung about the pin 24 in the direction of the arrow 27 shown in FIG. 4, the locking pawl 26 can be moved again into the position shown in the drawing when the rail 3 has assumed its horizontal position. In this position the locking pawl engages the web of the rail 3 so as to hold the same in its lifted position.

As can easily be imagined the apparatus may consist of two side parts, each of which is designed as described, comprising a support, a top rail and a retractable rail. The two side parts are connected by a cross-member 11 to form a framework.

If several such devices are mounted in a row, a common support for two adjacent devices is suflicient in most cases, as is apparent from FIG. 5.

The apparatus may also be constructed as a framework which can be knocked down. In this case the anchoring in the ground is replaced by horizontal feet 28 (FIG. 6) which rest on the ground and are long enough to provide for a sufficient stability of the device. These feet have such a cross-sectional shape that a vehicle which is to be parked below the device can move in and out.

To avoid danger to anybody during the lifting and lowering of the platform, the embodiment comprising two lateral retractable rails may be provided with barriers 10 pivoted to said rails, as shown in FIG. 6.

It is obvious that safeguards are provided to prevent unauthorized use of the device. For instance, the winch 8 cannot be set to lower the platformuntil a coin which corresponds to the parking time has been inserted into the switch 9. Furthermore, devices are provided which hold the vehicle in position on the platform. To move the platform from the support 1 to the rail 3 when the platform is carried by the rail 2, an auxiliary traction rope may be provided or the rail 2 is set to slope slightly towards the rail 3 so that the platform rolls toward the rail 3 by gravity. The rails need not be arranged for an upward pivotal movement in the manner described but may also be arranged to be swung upwardly or rearwardly about an axis which is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the device. Separate drives may be provided to facilitate the operation of the retractable rails.

Furthermore, the two embodiments according to FIGS. 1 and 5 may be combined by providing a single support and two lateral top rails 2 and two retractable rails 3 or, vice versa, two rails but only a single rail 2 and a single rail 3. The traction rope may be replaced by a chain or the like. Alternatively, the rails may be provided with racks in mesh with pinions which are mounted on the platform and are driven by a motor disposed thereon. This provides a solution to the problem of the horizontal movement of the platform along the top rails.

With respect to the drive, the movement of the platform may be divided into two partial movements, one drive means being provided for lifting and lowering and another for the horizontal movement of the platform. The rails 3 need not be vertical in the position of use. A more or less inclined position has the advantage that the rail can bear better on the ground with its free end.

It may finally be mentioned that the device .may comprise several storeys, each platform having a separate drive device associated therewith. The lift rails for the platforms which can be arranged one over the other are either independent of each other or extend only from storey to storey. The embodiment mentioned last comprises switches which, depending upon their position, guide the platform into the storey associated with it. Simple safeguards must be provided in this case to prevent a collision of platforms.

In any case, the invention is not restricted to the embodiments described and shown.

What is claimed is:

1. An elevating and storage device comprising a support structure, a pair of substantially horizontally extending flanged guide means secured at one end to said structure, a pair of downwardly extending flanged guide means secured at their upper end to the other end of said horizontal guide means and resting upon a ground plane at their lower end, a horizontally extending platform adapted to be guided in a substantially horizontal position along said horizontally extending and said downwardly extending guide means, each of said guide means having an inner and outer flange, the flanges of said horizontally and said downwardly extending guide means having a curved portion joining said flanges in a continuous smooth track, a pair of upright members secured at opposite corners of one end of said platform for supporting said platform, antifriction means mounted on said members to separately engage said inner and outer flanges of each of said guide means, and means for lifting and driving said members and said platform along both of said guide means, said antifriction means including vertically spaced pairs of roller means mounted on each of said members, the upper pair of roller means being positioned on each side of said outer flanges and the lower pair of roller means being positioned on each side of said inner flanges, each pair of roller means engaging opposite sides of said flanges, wherein the'roller means on the inside of the flanges prevent tilting of the platform on the vertically extending guide means and the roller means on the outside of the flanges prevent tilting of the platform on the horizontally extending guide means.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said support structure includes a horizontal ground contacting member extending substantially in the same direction as said horizontally extending guide means and a vertical support member secured to both said horizontal member and to said horizontal extending guide means.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the dimensions of said platform and the distance between said horizontally extending guide means and said support structure are adapted to accommodate and store a vehicle.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein two pairs of horizontally extending and of downwardly extending guide means are associated with opposite sides of said support structure, a separate platform being provided on each side, said lifting and driving means being adapted independently and simultaneously to displace said platforms along both pairs of said guide means.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein said upper and lower pairs of roller means are spaced apart horizontally to accommodate the engaged one of said guide means and maintain said platform in a horizontal position.

6. The device of claim 1, including means pivotally securing said horizontally and said downwardly extending guide means to permit said downwardly extending guide means to be retracted from the ground when said platform is positioned on said horizontal extending guide means and to provide an unobstructed ground area.

7. A vehicle parking device comprising a support structure, horizontally extending flanged guide members secured to said structure, vertically extending flanged guide members pivotally attached to the end of said horizontally extending guide members remote from said structure, curved flanged guide members connecting said horizontally and said vertically extending guide members, anti-- friction means adapted to ride on said guide members, a horizontally extending platform cantileveriy supported from said antifriction means, the latter including pairs of vertically and horizontally spaced-apart rollers contacting opposite faces of said guide members, and means for displacing said platform between a lowered extreme position adjacent the lower end of said vertically extending guide members and a raised extreme position wherein said platform is substantially coextensive with said horizontally extending guide members, said curved guide members having camming surfaces so constructed and arranged that said platform remains substantially horizontal through said displacement along both said vertically and said horizontally extending guide members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,584,212 Burrell May 11, 1926 2,698,103 fiostine Dec. 28, 1954 2,765,932 Nielsen Oct. 9, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 448,550 Germany Au 22, 1927 

